Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 3 (2.3)
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 3 (2.3)
क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप | | २-३ | |
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitattvayyupapadyate kṣhudraṁ hṛidayadaurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣhṭha parantapa
Word-by-word guide:
Line 1:
- क्लैब्यम्
(Klaibyam)— कायरता(do not fall into weakness) - म
(ma)— कमजोरी में मत पड़ो(do not fall into weakness) - म
(sma)— कमजोरी में मत पड़ो(do not fall into weakness) - गम
(gamah)— कमजोरी में मत पड़ो(do not fall into weakness) - पार्थ
(Partha)— हे पार्थ(is Krishna's name for Arjuna) - न
(na)— यह तुम्हें शोभा नहीं देता(this does not suit you) -
ijoined in naitattvayyupapadyate - तत्
(tad)— वह(that) - वइ
(tvayi)— यह तुम्हें शोभा नहीं देता(this does not suit you) - उपपद्यते
(upapadyate)— यह तुम्हें शोभा नहीं देता(this does not suit you)
Line 2:
- क्षुद्रम्
(kshudram)— तुच्छ(petty) - हृदयदौर्बल्यम्
(hridaya-daurbalyam)— हृदय की दुर्बलता(weakness of heart) -
tjoined in tyaktvottiṣhṭha - यः
(yah)— जो(who) -
kjoined in tyaktvottiṣhṭha - तु
(tu)— परन्तु(but) -
ottijoined in tyaktvottiṣhṭha - अस्ति
(asti)— है(is) -
ajoined in tyaktvottiṣhṭha - परन्तप
(Parantapa)— हे शत्रु-तापक(scorcher of foes)
English: Krishna tells Arjuna to reject weakness, cast off faint-heartedness, and rise.
Learnings from Shloka 3:
- Compassionate guidance:: Krishna sees Arjuna's pain, but he does not let Arjuna remain trapped in it.
- Call to duty:: He reminds Arjuna that a difficult duty should not be abandoned just because the heart feels weak.
- Mental resilience:: Krishna asks Arjuna to rise above grief and recover strength.
- Recognition of inner struggle:: Feeling overwhelmed is human, but it should not stop right action.
- Clarity before comfort:: Krishna's help is kind, but it is also truthful.
Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz
Practice this shloka vocabularyMatch Sanskrit words from shloka 2.3 with their Hindi and English meanings.
Practice vocabulary
Krishna challenges Arjuna's collapse directly. He does not reject Arjuna's compassion, but he points out that helplessness and loss of courage are not worthy responses for someone who knows his duty.
The verse teaches that kindness should not become weakness. When the mind is confused, we may call avoidance compassion, but Krishna asks Arjuna to recover strength and clarity.